SAD

It's another sunny day! I feel giddy with sunshine. One advantage of living in the Northwest is that you really get to reap the mood-altering effects of sunshine when you get it - it's like a potent hit of something. Crack? Amphetamines? With my limited drug experience, I can't get the metaphor right, but it's pretty terrific. Everybody seems to be more cheerful, and we all smile at eachother, maybe a little manically.

It's spring, for sure (as Dutch says). Leaf buds and crocuses and daffodils, and frogs in the swamp. The bugs are coming out, too, especially in the sunny spots. Our building, as well as being the dampest building in which we've ever lived, seems to be an overwintering refuge for insects. Last weekend, when this sunny stretch really got going, about 15 ladybugs and other beetles appeared in our window frames, much to Dutch's delight and my mild consternation. We've been lunching on our sunny steps whenever possible, and on Monday a bee came over from the flowering bushes in the courtyard and tried to pollinate Dutch's plate. It's been a nice week.